Hicks's new action-filled sports series packs the energy of the gym into two short novels for kids who are new to reading.

SOCCER DREAMS AND PLENTY OF ACTION this second book in the Gym Shorts series scores high with new readers. There's nothing Goose wants more than to play goalie for his soccer team. It looks like such fun – and so easy! – on TV. But to say Goose has a little trouble focusing is a bit of an understatement. Luckily, his friend Henry agrees to train him. Just as Goose starts to improve, Henry gets grounded for slipping grades. Can Goose make it to goalie? Can he help Henry who has helped him so much already? Goof-Off Goalie is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Basketball Bats Henry and his four friends on Rockford Road are an unbeatable basketball team—on their driveway court. But without team T-shirts or an official name, can they take on the Tigers, a team that plays at the huge YWCA and has a player old enough to shave? Henry feels sure he can lead his friends to victory, but is he really a team player? Or is he a ball hog? Goof-Off Goalie There's nothing Goose wants more than to play goalie for his soccer team. It looks like so much fun—and so easy!—on TV. But can he quit daydreaming long enough to stop the ball? With Henry's training, Goose is sure he can go from goof-off to goalie in no time. Just as Goose starts to improve, Henry gets grounded because his grades are slipping. Will Goose help Henry in return? Or is being a goalie more important than friendship? Basketball Bats and Goof-Off Goalie are both 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Books of the Year.

Codie loves to spend time with her favorite aunt, Alix. Her aunt is a talented seamstress, and Codie knows that the perfect gift for Alix's new baby is a handmade blanket. Codie wants to have the blanket done before the baby is born. Suddenly, the baby is coming early. Will Codie be able to finish the blanket in time?

The latest book in the Gym Shorts series is a grand slam with new readers. Rocky was the best catcher in the league until an out-of-control runner broke his arm. Now his arm is healed, but he's developed a reflex that keeps him from tagging out the runner. Young readers will root for Rocky as he and his friends--and even his dog, Chops--set out to prove that he's no scaredy-cat.

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE, DOUBLE THE FUN. Is it a game, set, match for Henry? Henry wants to win the doubles tennis trophy more than anything. He knows he'd good enough, but he's not sure his partner Rocky is. The advantage goes to new readers as they follow Henry as he helps Rocky train and, at the same time, works on his history project. Can Henry serve up an ace on and off the court?

Jazz loves being on the track team! And her dad is her biggest fan -- maybe too big a fan. He argues with the coach, yells at the ref, and screams his head off at every meet. Jazz loves her dad, but can she keep him from having a full blown track attack? The latest book in the GYM SHORTS series finishes ahead of the pack and will keep early readers cheering.

Swimming with Sharks Rita's times aren't fast enough to swim for the Sharks with her friends. To improve she must learn flip turns, but every time she tries, she gets water up her nose! Jazz has an idea that might be the key to Rita's success, but what if Rita comes in first on a slower team? Would she rather win or be with her friends? Or is there another way for Rita to swim with the Sharks? Track Attack Jazz loves being on a track team where she sprints fast as a lightning bolt. Her dad loves that she's on the team, too. He's her biggest fan—maybe too big a fan. He argues with the coach, yells at the ref, and screams his head off at every meet. Jazz loves to run, but can she focus on the race while Dad is having a track attack?

Two of the most trusted reviewers in the field join with top authors, illustrators, and critics in a definitive guide to choosing books for children—and nurturing their love of reading. A FAMILY OF READERS is the definitive resource for parents interested in enriching the reading lives of their children. It’s divided into four sections: 1. Reading to Them: Choosing and sharing board books and picture books with babies and very young children. 2. Reading with Them: Launching the new reader with easy readers and chapter books. 3. Reading on Their Own: Exploring what children read—and how they read—by genre and gender. 4. Leaving Them Alone: Respecting the reading privacy of the young adult. Roger Sutton knows how and why children read. He must, as the editor in chief of THE HORN BOOK, which since 1924 has been America’s best source for reviews of books for young readers. But for many parents, selecting books for their children can make them feel lost. Now, in this essential resource, Roger Sutton and Martha V. Parravano, executive editor at the magazine, offer thoughtful essays that consider how books are read to (and then by) young people. They invite such leading authors and artists as Maurice Sendak, Katherine Paterson, Margaret Mahy, and Jon Scieszka, as well as a selection of top critics, to add their voices about the genres they know best. The result is an indispensable readers’ companion to everything from wordless board books to the most complex and daring young adult novels.

Want to identify fiction books that boys in grades three through nine will find irresistible? This guide reveals dozens of worthwhile recommendations in categories ranging from adventure stories and sports novels to horror, humorous, and science fiction books. In Get Those Guys Reading!: Fiction and Series Books that Boys Will Love, authors Kathleen A. Baxter and Marcia A. Kochel provide compelling and current reading suggestions for younger boys—information that educators, librarians, and parents alike are desperate for. Comprising titles that are almost all well-reviewed in at least one major professional journal, or that are such big hits with kids that they've received the "stamp of approval" from the most important reviewers, this book will be invaluable to anyone whose goal is to help boys develop a healthy enthusiasm for reading. It includes chapters on adventure books; animal stories; graphic novels; historical fiction; humorous books; mystery, horror, and suspense titles; science fiction and fantasy; and sports novels. Within each chapter, the selections are further divided into books for younger readers (grades 3–6) and titles for older boys in grades 5–8. Elementary and middle school librarians and teachers, public librarians, Title One teachers, and parents of boys in grades 3–9 will all benefit greatly from having this book at hand.